http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php Copyright 2008, Anna Harper Anna Harper en-US SPHPBLOG 0.5.1 http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080824-120044 http://annaharperart.blogspot.com/.]]> http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080824-120044 Anna Harper Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:00:44 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080815-232118

I have been simplifying my office work flow and getting rid of all the outdated equipment. I am updating the equipment with new, more efficient equipment that is letting work smarter and have more time to create works of art. I just bought Neat Receipts and it is working great. I have always hated entering my petty cash receipts. I usually end up doing a large bunch of them at once a in three or four setting. Yuck! Not anymore. I have been entering them regularly and can use the program to cut my entry time in half. I also no longer have to save them. A digital copy is good enough for the IRS as proof. And it imports into QuickBooks!

http://www.neatreceipts.com]]> Reviews http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080815-232118 Anna Harper Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:21:18 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080814-123114
I think over the next few months I will open an eBay store and offer more of my work. Not only my photos, but original drawings and paintings as well.

Here are two ACEO oil paintings on wood and a new pen and ink drawing on 140 lb. archival water color paper.



"Abstract Bonsai Tree"
I plan on doing a full series of abstract bonsai trees. I love bonsai!



"Abstract Purple Tulips" I did some experimental scratching in this one with a bamboo stick. I really like how it turned out and plan on using this technique in the future. I consider this painting to be a sketch for future work, the lines are feathered and not as defined as I would like.



"Spooky Tree" Halloween is my favorite holiday!]]> Art http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080814-123114 Anna Harper Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:31:14 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080806-135305

I have been working on some new and unique works for this fall. I am also planning some renovation for my studio. It has been a busy summer!]]> Art http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080806-135305 Anna Harper Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:53:05 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080730-192650 ]]> Art http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080730-192650 Anna Harper Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:26:50 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080723-104946

I have been selling art on eBay for a few months now off and on since December. I am just starting to make it a regular thing. I did quite a bit of research on how to start and grow. So far it has been a very positive experience. The eBay community has been so helpful and supportive!

I currently sell ACEO originals and prints as a way of getting people to know my work and build a following. I was amazed to find how many artists make a living off of selling their work on eBay. I find selling ACEOs on eBay a great way for an artists to grow their fan base.

Check out my about me page on eBay.]]> Art http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080723-104946 Anna Harper Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:49:46 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080716-192208


]]> Art http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080716-192208 Anna Harper Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:22:08 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080710-151231

"If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint." ~Edward Hopper

I have been drawing more these days and writing. I recently started to paint again. I am making encaustic works, using my photographs and ink drawings as starting points.]]> Art http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080710-151231 Anna Harper Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:12:31 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080702-104132
My favorite feature is Boot Camp. I need to run Quickbooks Pro for accounting and the Mac version leaves quite a bit to be desired. I also got rid of my old PC and am running Parallels. This was the quickest upgrade in history for me. I plugged the old mac into the new one and transfered all the files I needed, including software. Next I carved up the hard drive into two parts and installed Windows XP. After that I booted up into Win, used the USB again to connect my old PC to my new mac and transfered my files to the new mac. It was so easy!

So, no more traveling overseas with two computers when I am staying away for over a month. My office just became very light and portable.]]> Reviews http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080702-104132 Anna Harper Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:41:32 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080611-121005 Inspiration http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080611-121005 Anna Harper Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:10:05 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080604-150551
Some people think living a life of hardship is not required for making interesting artwork. I am one of them. I find I am at my creative peek when I am doing the things in my life that are nurturing to my mind and body.

Sure leading a hard life can help produce interesting art. So can living life in a nurturing manner. It is not that you don't feel things as deeply. I argue some things you can feel more deeply if you are living a balanced life, like peace, contentment, satisfaction, joy, accomplishment and love.]]> Psychological http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080604-150551 Anna Harper Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:05:51 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080521-220248
That is when I go to nature to calm my thinking, rejuvenate my playful attitude towards life. I also use nature to take a break from the noise and constant input streaming into my senses. My time out of each environment helps me to appreciate them both for different reasons.]]> Adventure http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080521-220248 Anna Harper Thu, 22 May 2008 02:02:48 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080514-214647
"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." ~Aristotle]]> Psychological http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080514-214647 Anna Harper Thu, 15 May 2008 01:46:47 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080507-142530
It is summer and have opened all the windows to cool off my apartment. I enter my bedroom and there are nine giant flies all over my bed. Their bodies are black as oil with silvery highlights. They have long barbed legs. Their wings are luminously opalescent with green and violet streaked. There is a buzzing noise coming from the random movement of their wings, vibrating the whole room. My skin feels funny from the vibration.

They are beautiful and scary. I am not quite sure if they are dangerous so I go out to get a broom to shoo them away. The buzzing stops and it is dead calm. I hurry and feel my stomach tighten.

When I return to the room, opening the door, I see a beautiful fragrant flower there on the bed with them. It smells amazing, makes me think of being a child when my mother would bake cookies. Then all of a sudden I realize that the flower was a gift from them. I feel silly for having thought they were scary. I say thank you and they leave out my open window.]]> Tales http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080507-142530 Anna Harper Wed, 07 May 2008 18:25:30 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080430-145404




]]> http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080430-145404 Anna Harper Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:54:04 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080423-144939



I love the Spring! Cherry blossom time is one of my favorite times of the year. Here are a few image I shot last week. The top one is of a weeping cheery.]]> http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080423-144939 Anna Harper Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:49:39 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080416-174440
The name of the store is ARTistotle. Please let me know what you think. I am always open to suggestions on how to make the store better.
]]> http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080416-174440 Anna Harper Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:44:40 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080409-181638
The other end of the spectrum is to be too open and not have a clear voice or consistency to your work that collectors can relate to. So, both cultivating a steady growth as an artist is as important as having a consistency in your work.

In my work I am constantly try new ideas and techniques of working. When I find something that adds to my work I implement it slowly over a period of time so that it is a clear choice and fits in with my past work by building on it in a way that makes sense. This way I can look back and see a path from where I was to where I am.]]> Art http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080409-181638 Anna Harper Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:16:38 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080404-161408
Wikipedia defines creativity as: Creativity (or "creativeness") is a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts. An alternative, more everyday conception of creativity is that it is simply the act of making something new.

By this definition everyone is creative in their everyday lives no matter what you do or who you are. People have problems and are faced with the task of finding solutions to fit their needs.


Dictionary.com defines creativity as: The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.

I think that this also can be applied to everyday life. Most people become more creative when they need to find a solution to a problem.

I view creativity as a skill that needs to be developed like any other skill in life. The more you practice flexing your creativity, the more creative you get.]]> Inspiration http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080404-161408 Anna Harper Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:14:08 GMT http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080313-141911
For two years I had a funny cartoon by Johnny Coughlan on my wall titled, "Mood Closet." It was a reminder for me that I should not take myself so seriously and that I could choose how I felt based on the way I thought. It was a small thing that helped me change the way I thought and felt.

If there was one thing you could change in your life that would make an impact what would that be? And if you knew you could before you even started, what would you do?




The recent article, "Change Your Nature," in Psychology Today confirms my ideas on people and their ability to change their personality and their lives. It gives some compelling examples as proof that we are not hard wired and are able to change our personality if we want to. The article goes on to say that it has to do with our environment and ability to be open to change our basic ideas that support our beliefs. So, mom was right when she didn't want you hanging out with the 'wrong' crowd and that they might infect you with ideas of bad behavior.

The good news is it can also work for people in very positive ways. It can be something as simple as a work of art or object that reinforces good memories or nurturing thoughts. Changing our views can have a dramatic impact on our actions and how we feel. I think that two of the most influential factors are the people around you and what you permit yourself to believe as the truth. One part of change that is hard is when you out grow some of the people around you. People either tend to grow together or apart in their beliefs.

So, that old idea of nature verses nurture is still alive. Both are large factors in why people are the way they are. Genes may be the cards we are dealt, but what we do with them is ultimately up to us! Knowing you can change is very powerful knowledge. What will you do?]]> Psychological http://www.annaharper.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080313-141911 Anna Harper Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:19:11 GMT